JANUARY 1973

(joij? (bourse Superintendents
O F

N E W

E N G L A N D ,

~y$idociation

Sponsors a n d administrators of the Lawrence S.
Dickinson Scholarship Fund — A w a r d e d yearly
to deserving Turf M a n a g e m e n t Students.

I N C .

UNIONS . . . ETHICAL OR NOT ? ? ?
Respect, recognition, reward.
Those might be a pretty good nutshelled version of what
comprises the three " R ' s " of a profession. If you are not
getting your proper share of each, you could be in a union
mood.
There has been much rebuttal to the proposal that the golf
course superintendent explore the possibility of joining a
union . . . or even form one of his own. An association is one
thing, a union another.
The main argument against a union is that it is not ethical
in the light that a professional man doesn't resort to an
agency to serve as his spokesman in bargaining for higher
wages, better working conditions, or fringe benefits. " T h a t
type of thing is below us", comes the cry.
Well, for your information, more and more professional
people are leaning toward unionizing in an attempt to Letter
themselves. These include physicians, stock brokers, diplomats, professors, engineers and even scientists. Did you know,
in addition, that the United Auto Workers have in their ranks
some 9,000 professional employes at North American Rockwell? Ethical or not, they have turned to the union.
Some superintendents have expressed strong feelings in support of unionization. Naturally, their names cannot be made
public for the obvious reason, but their voices should be heard.
" I am sick and tired of being regarded as a glorified
gardener", one states. " W e have done just about all we can
do as far as trying to uplift our image. Some people just
refuse to be convinced that we are highly skilled technicians.
For the most part, they don't want to hear about it. Mostly,
they're taking that attitude so it won't cost them money."
Of course, the task of bargaining now falls on the individual super who has little to fall back on when his requests fall

on deaf ears. The reaction to such a plight goes something
like this:
"When I ask for something to improve my position and
the answer is no, I'm dead right there", another superintendent pleads. " W h e r e do I go when this happens. I'll tell you
. . . I go home to my wife and she talks me out of quitting.'
But there has to be something a man can do when he is rebuffed unfairly."
That something could be the union. The power of the
strike always has been taboo with the superintendent. And,
perhaps, this is what he is afraid of putting himself into.
He doesn't want to strike. He doesn't want to go that far.
The case against unions gets a lift because most of the
publicity coating unions usually is concerned with strikes
and strike threats. It is overpowering, too, because statistics
show that the actual call of a strike doesn't occur that often.
There are some 125,000 union contracts governing labormanagement relations and 97 percent of them are signed
after peaceful negotiations. More workers miss work because
of colds than because of strikes and strikes have to be authorized by the workers, themselves, before they can be
conducted.
The next check against unions probably is that association
with them carries the " w o r k e r " tag. After all, the superintendent has been trying to rise above that status for several
years. To fall back would be to desert one's own principles.
The answer to that is contained near the top of this piece.
If physicians, professors and engineers don't mind being the
" l a b o r " in a labor-management confrontation, the superintendent certainly should not.
Unionizing-, then, is not all that filthy a word. If it fits the
goals of the superintendent, it should be considered.
— Gerry Finn

TWO FUTURE SUPERS
Two future superintendents were rewarded for their
achievements in the classroom recently with the presentation
of Professor Lawrence S. Dickinson scholarships to Stephen
Finamore and Phillip DiRico, J r .
Professor Joseph Troll of Stockbridge at the University of
Massachusetts did the honors for two of his star pupils after
being handed the certificates and moolah from Phil Cassidy
of the scholarship committee and the New England Association.
Finamore is a senior in the four-year course and the apple
of Dr. Troll's eye. " I ' m hoping he goes on to work for his
Masters", Dr. Troll reported. "He's that kind of student."
The diligent Finamore is a resident of Waltham and did
his placement work at Wayland under Dave Barber.

DiRico, like Finamore, a former schoolboy hockey star at
Chicopee High School . . . is a senior in the Stockbridge twoyear program. He comes from a golfing family with brothers
Tom and Danny professionals and a third brother, Dave, a
junior standout on the links.
Philip has had three stops in his golf course experience —•
Longmeadow, Springfield and Lajolla, California. He is
married and the father of a 20-month-old daughter.
*

*

«

U.S.G.A. Green Section Conference
on Golf Course Management
S u b j e c t : Practical Turf Grass Management
Friday, January 26, 1973
Biltmore Hotel, New York, N. Y .

ourde

^Superintendentd

Jociulion

G O O D SHOW, PAUL ! ! !
Dr. Paul Alexander's Traveling Education Show stopped off
at New England last month and from most of the reaction, he
got himself some converts. It was a good show all the way.
The T E S arrived in the form of the GCSAA's Management
Seminar I and was presented in a two-day cram course in
Windsor, Conn. Despite some typical gosh-awful weather, the
turnout was most encouraging. In fact, the 4 6 signees comprised the largest group to reach for their pencils and pads
on the Alexander circuit.
" W e had good response", Dr. Alexander opined. " D o n ' t
forget, the shutoff figure was set at 50. So, we were operating
at just four under capacity. It's a tribute to the section."
Dr. Alexander was a mite lenient in his praise of the New
England Association, since only seven from the NEGCSA
made the scene. Oddly enough, more than half of the "students" came from New Y o r k and New Jersey. Their combined totaTwas 24. T h e next best was the Connecticut contingent which contributed 12 to the pot.
The seminar was a revelation for everyone canvassed after
their tussles with facts, figures, costs, budgets, ratios and
other thinking cap facets of managing a golf course. " I t was
a real test in being able to take notes", Dick Blake of Mount
Pleasant admitted. " B u t all the hard work was worth it. I
only wish I had been able to take the course a week earlier
when I had to draw up my budget. It was worth every cent
of the fee and every hour of the time spent."
That time element is interesting. In the first day of action,
the group put in exactly 13 and one-half hours of absorbing
lectures and taking part in practical exploration of the materials covered in the seminar. " I don't think there's a college in the country where someone would have to do as
much as we did during that first day", Blake noted. " I t
really was an awakening for me. I had to sit down at night
and sift through my notes to see if I was getting anywhere.
And that took more time."

Roy Mackintosh of Twin Hills concurred with Blake. "When
I got home, I found that I had taken 2 4 pages of notes", Roy
quipped. " I don't know whether or not it was necessary to
take all of that. But I wouldn't have missed this experience
for anything. I was most impressed with the breakdown of
a country club's financial statement. It's something we have
to be familiar with as managers of people and physical property. It helps to know where everything comes in and everything goes out."
The idea of the seminar is elementary. It aids the super'
intendent in his primary duty as a manager. And that management calls for soniething more than a passing knowledge
of budget formation. Unfortunately, some superintendents
base their current budgets along the guidelines of what has
been presented in previous years. If they were asked to
analyze these figures, some embarrassing answers might
result.
" M o r e than anything, the seminar made me realize that
the superintendent must relate his needs to the overall operation of the club", Mackintosh offered. ' " W e must be aware
of the other facets of the country club setup. We can't just
sweep ourselves into a corner and be concerned with our individual problems. There is a logical answer for most of our
problems, but we have to know how to arrive at it. That's
just what the seminar presented."
Dr. Alexander agreed that the seminar wasn't one giant
cure-all. " I f we've accomplished anything, it's making the
superintendent aware of the fact that he has to perform in
a professional manner", he advised. "When he seeks something, he has to have a reason for the request. When he can
put it down in black and white, his chance's of getting it are
that brighter."
So, it was a good show . . . good enough to call for more
of same.
— Gerry Finn

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

NEXT MEETING

During the past year, a great amount of time has been
spent by the Officers, Directors and Members of the Golf
Course Superintendents Association of New England, in pre-,
paring for the National Turf Conference in Boston. When
our February meeting rolls around, the Conference will be
history and we again should devote our time to Association
business. Many areas, such as Golf Tournaments, Superintendent-Press Tournaments, and Scholarship Funds, should
be reviewed. With only two inside or winter meetings left, we
should attempt to review our problem areas at this time.
Membership suggestions and ideas will help set the policies
of the Association for the coming year. Committee assignments
will be made at the February meeting so if you are interested
in serving please contact me before February 1st.
Bob Grant
President G.C.S.A., N.E.

The next meeting of the G.C.S.A. of N.E. will be February
11, 1 9 7 3 at the Holiday Inn, Newton, Mass., off route 128.
N. H. This year as in the past Bill Knoop of U.N.H. has
The speaker will be Bob Carroll of the Turf Department at
the University of Massachusetts.

JOB OPEN
Ould Newbury Golf Club, 9 holes. Apply to Mr. Philip
Trussell, 196 High Rd., Newbury, Mass. 0 1 9 5 0 .

JOB OPEN
Sharon Country Club, 9 holes. Send resume to Mr. John
Schoaf, 2 6 Davis Rd., Stoughton, Mass. 0 2 0 7 2 .

President —
ROBERT G R A N T
22 Patricia Road
Sudbury, Mass. 01776
Phone 443-2671
Club Affiliation
Brae Burn Country Club

First Vice President —
THOMAS CURRAN
153 Fisher Street
Walpole, Mass. 02081
Phone 668-7221
Club Affiliation
The Country Club

Second Vice President —
W A Y N E ZOPPO
48 Barberry Drive
Seekonk, Mass.
Phone 399-7141
Club Affiliation
A g a w a m Hunt

Secretary —
RONALD KIRKMAN
25 Green Street
Needham, Mass. 02192
Phone 444-8412
Club Affiliation
Needham Golf Club

Directors' Meeting

10:30 a.m.

Regular Meeting

11:15 a.m.

Lunch

12:15 p.m.

Educational Program

1:15 p.m.

New members to be voted on at the February Meeting:
Regular Member - Paul E. Johnson, Topsfield Country Club
Associate Member - Robert A. LeBlanc, Westminster G.
C. Inc.

Treasurer —
LUCIEN DUVAL
R.F. No. 5 Gault Road
Bedford, N. H . 03105
Phone 472-3454
Club Affiliation
Manchester Country Cli ib

Trustee —
M A X MIERZWA
106 Crestwood Street
Chicopee, Mass. 01020
Phone 594-4996
Club Affiliation
Chicopee Country Club

Trustee —
NORMAN MUCCIARONE
101 Alban Road
Waban, Mass. 02168
Phone 332-3056
Club Affiliation
W o o d l a n d Golf C l u b

Trustee —
BERT F R E D E R I C K
45 Stoney Brook Road
Nabnaset. Mass.
Phone 453-1231
Club Affiliation
Vesper Country Club

Finance Chairman —
NARY SPERANDIO
Concord, Mass. 01742
Phone 369-4723
Club Affiliation
Concord Country Club

~ O F

S O U N D OFF ! ! ! !
(The reader speaks out and Sound Off is here to hear him..
Yes, folks, once again it's time for the golf enthusiasts — be
they a super or a sloppy-handicapped
hacker — to comment
on the game. Everyone
is welcome to become a member
of
our contributing
society. All it takes is a little time, a little
ink and a little eight-cent stamp to put us in focus with your
views. Send all of those to Newsletter Mail Box, 2 8 Riverview Drive, Newbury, Mass. 01950. The Newsletter
reserves
the right to comment on all published
letters.)
*

*

*

*

" Y o u r story about the grey-clouded position of the superintendent's pension plan is indeed a sad one.
"From here it looks as though the attempt to give the superintendent some practical security in his old age will die
a slow death. It can't be for lack of interest on part of the
national organization. From where I sit, it has taken more
than one avenue to see that proposals were heard by he
proper people.
"Now, if the national should fail to come up with an acceptable plan, what do we superintendents do then? I am in
a position where I am starting to think of what happens when
'this old green thumb starts to tarnish'. Is there a possibility
that my local section can go ahead with a plan of its own,
or should I investigate the possibility of getting together with
my present club and establishing a program on my o w n ? "
T E R R Y SANFORD
Bath, Me.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, Terry. G o get
that individual pension plan while the time's right. You can
always go for the second bird if the national comes up with
a program of its own.
-X-

-K-

*

" W e girls have been having one awful time of it this year,
what with many ice storms putting our platform tennis games
on very thin but slippery ice.
"There is always the chance that one of us will take a
bad fall and even suffer a severe injury. Of course, we assume that risk . . . I imagine . . . but someone else also
should assume the duty of spreading salt or something on the courts to make them safe.
" I haven't been to any of our club meetings and am not
expert on this matter. However, I believe the superintendent
is supposed to take care of the platform tennis . . . while he
cools his heels during the long winter.
"Our playing time is 7 a. m. and this also makes the conditions all that more perilous. Should I write to our superintendent or should I wait for a bad injury and then sue h i m ? "
CAROLINE S W I F T
Address Withheld
A t 7 a. m. in the dead of winter everyone's life is in peril,
Caroline. W h y don't you sue G o d for all those ice storms?
*

Golf Chairman —
JULIUS AKSTEN
6 Main Street
Southboro, Mass. 01772

5rA«S85

St. Mark's Golf Club

Educational Chairman —
LARRY BUNN
145 Dedham Street
Canton, Mass.
cPihu°bnA«5fat0„467
Blue Hill Country Club

«•

Newsletter Chairman —
DEAN ROBERTSON
24 Riverview Drive
Newbury, Mass. 01950

cihrA«S;?40

Chestnut Hill Country Club

E N G L A N D ,

I N C .

" I t has just come to my attention that you superintendents
are staging an internaional conference in Boston and that it
would be to our advantage to send our man there.
"However, there is just one hitch to this. Our superintendent is not a member of your association. (Why, I don't
know). Anyway, we would like to see him make it because of
the educational value >in the affair.
"Would it be possible for him to attend? We will be glad
to pay his way into the conference and all other expense?.
But we hate to send him all that way and see him kept out."
SAM T H E R I E R
Cadence, W. Va.
Put him on the next plane, Sam. The conference is open
to all, if they are willing to pay the non-member fee. By the
way, tell your super to pick up an application for G C S A A
when he arrives. That way you'll be killing two birds with
one jet.
" Y o u r articles on unions have been widely received here,
since we are in a heavy union area with a big worker population.
"The idea of making a superintendent join a union (when
it is a closed shop situation as it is here) just doesn't seem
to go along with the other workings of a professional group.
"There is still a certain amount of liberty left in this
world and one is that a man have the right to join whatever
group or organization he chooses to^join. With the establishment of a union (and if it is to be strong), you would be taking that right away from the superintendent. I wonder if
he wants the union all that bad?
"Certainly, there must be other ways for you people to
let club owners and presidents know just what your feelings
are in regards to earning the respect and professional response
from them. From what I know of these club officials, they
are professional men, themselves, and should be willing to
respond in a professional manner.
" I am certainly against a professional man joining a union.
It takes all the individuality out of life for one thing. Right
now, you can rely on your talent and previous results to
bargain for better wages and more fringe benefits. If you
unionize, you take the one thing out of your profession that
you should pride yourself on — incentive. Think twice before
you jump into this."
B A R R Y CRAWFORD
Gary, Ind.
A well-groomed golf course is our incentive, Barry. It will
always be there, union, association or no. It's built-in with us.
(That puts us out of business for this time around. But
those cards and letters coming. They make this exciting
ture
possible.)

keep
fea-

The New Hampshire Turf Seminar will be February 8 and
9, 1973 at the New Hampshire Highway Hotel, Concord,
N. H. This year as in the past Bill Knoop of U.N.H. has
arranged another fine program with interesting speakers. If
you are interested write to: William E. Knoop, Plant Science
Dept., University of N. H., Durham, N. H. 03824.

Past President —
R I C H A R D C . BLAKE
211 Sewall Street
Boylston. Mass. 01505

STaE"7

N E W

Mt. Pleasant Country Club

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FRIENDS OF THE ASSOCIATION

R. D. Sibley, J r . . Representative
375 Power Rd.
Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02860

Fairway Equipment, Inc.
Sales — Service — Rentals
35 Walnut St., Reading, Mass.

Mallinckrodt Chemical Works
Second and Mallinckrodt Streets
St. Louis, Mo. 63160

Alfco Rokeby Co., Inc.
Fertilizers and Chemical Specialties
P . 0 . B o x 267, Marietta, Ohio

Agrico Chemical Company
F a r m Bureau Association
158 Lexington St., Waltham, Mass. 02154
Fred Heyliger, Representative
Thomas F . Grummell, Representative

Magovern Company, Inc.
Lawn Acre Road
Windsor Lock, Conn.

Allen's Seed Store, Inc.
South County T r a i l Rt. No. 2
Slocum, Rhode Island
Charles Allen, J r . , Rep.
B a c h e r Corp., Lawn and Snow Equipment
8 7 6 Boston Rd. ( R t . 3 A )
Billerrca, Mass. 01866
B a k e r Tractor Corp., Ford Tractors
Harley Davidson Golf Cars
Swansea, Massachusetts
T h e Charles C. Hart Seed Co.
Richard M c G a h a n , Rep.
Wethersfield, Conn.
Corenco Corporation
- 5 2 5 W o b u r n Street
Tewksbury, Mass. 01876
William Ferris
* T h e Clapper Co.
1121 Washington St.
West Newton, Mass.
* Geoffrey S . Cornish & William G. Robinson
Golf Course Architects
Fiddlers Green, Amherst, Mass. 01002
George E . Cull
Terra-Green Soil Conditioner
112 Green St., Abington, Mass.
C. S. Curran
T . R . C. Products, Oils and Greases
7 Linden St., Framingham, Mass.
Eastern Industrial Handling Co., Inc.
Norwood, Massachusetts
Westcoaster Turf and Golf Carts
E-Z-Go Golf Car, Division Textron, Inc.
Sales - Service - Rentals
Route 28, Pocasset, Massachusetts 02559
C a l l E d McGuire collect 617/563-2234

Fisk, Alden Ford Tractor Sales
R e a r 900 Providence Highway
Dedliam, Mass. 02026
Manuel Francis and Son, Inc.
Turf Nurseries
624 Webster St., Marshfield, Mass.
Ron Gagne — Scotts Golf Course Div.
Kendall Park, Phone 617/285-7466
Norton, Mass. 02766
Gold S t a r Sod Farms, I n c .
(Canterbury, New Hampshire)
(Sales Office) 1265 Mass. Ave.
Lexington, Mass. 02173 T e l . 861
Grounds Equipment Co., I n c .
383 Boylston St., Newton Cen., Mass.
Holliston Sand Company, I n c .
Lowland Street, Holliston, Mass. 01746
Sand for Golf Bunkers and T r a p s
Irrigation & Equipment Supply Co.
P. O. Box 147 Route 1
Walpole, Mass. 02081
Tel. 617-668-7814
* T o m Irwin, Inc.
11B A Street
Burlington, Mass.
Karandrew T u r f Farms, Inc.
Sam Mitchell, Sales Representative
15 Longmeadow Drive, Canton, Mass.
The Kenneth B a r r i e Company
Irrigation
375 Centre St., J a m a i c a Plain, Mass.
Larchmont Irrigation Co.
Larchmont Ln., Lexington,

Mass.

D. L. Maher Co.
W a t e r Supply Contractors
P . O. Box 274, Woburn, Mass.
New England Sealcoating Co., Inc.
Astroturf, Tennis Courts, Pavement
Sealcoating — Hingham Industrial Center
Hingham, Mass. Tel. 749-3236
Old F o x Chemical Inc.
Fertilizers — Seeds — T u r f Chemicals
66 Valley-Street
East Providence, Rhode Island 02914
S i l Paulini, Inc.
6 Manor Avenue
Natick, Mass. 01760
Richey & Clapperj—Ine,—
28 Rutlcdge Road
Natick, Mass. 01760
Trencher & Equipment Leasing, I n c .
Ditch Witch Trenchers
38 Fairview St., Agawam, M a . 01001
Phone 413-781-4600
*Sawtelle Brothers
J e t . Routes 128 and 62
Danvers, Mass.
Shepard Sod Company
Merion Blue Grass and Pencross B e n t
200 Sullivan Ave., So. Windsor, Conn.
Tuco Products Co.
Division of the Upjohn
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Company

White Turf Engineering
5 Sumner Drive, Winchendon, M a . 01475
617-297-0941
Philip A. Wogan
Golf Course Architect
21 Budleigh Ave., Beverly,

Mass.

* Contributors to the Lawrence S. Dickinson Scholarship Fund

Newbury, Massachusetts 01950
Phone 462-4540
C l u b Affiliation
Chestnut Hill Country C l u b
L E O N V. ST. P I E R R E
Business M a n a g e r
GERRY FINN
Contributing Editor